Rensselaer Orchestra entrances audience

The Rensselaer Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Chamberlain, performed at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center on Saturday. The orchestra played pieces from various eras of classical music, with compositions from Jean-Baptiste Lully, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Franz Schubert, and Pyotr-Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The concert began with Lully’s Dance Suite, a baroque piece that heavily featured the oboe—something I thoroughly appreciated as an oboe player myself. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Petite Suite de la Concert was next—a lighthearted piece that, as stated in the program, ranged from “unexpectedly tender to the height of brashness.” I especially enjoyed the third and fourth movements: Un Sonnet d’Amour for its romance and prominent woodwind parts, and La Tarantelle Frétillante for its high energy.

The second half of the concert consisted of Schubert’s Symphony No. 7 “Unfinished” and Tchaikovsky’s dance piece “Polonaise” from his opera Eugene Onegin. The Tchaikovsky piece was a clear crowd-pleaser with its high energy and strong sound that enveloped the entire auditorium.

Watching the Rensselaer Orchestra is a great time for any student who appreciates an interesting selection of classical music. Make sure to attend their next show with the concert choir—the annual Holiday Concert on December 15.